Presidential Address

Dr Ratnabali Chakravorty (President – IMS)

Dear IMSians – Greetings for a very vibrant and productive 2018-2019.

Let me share with you a personal emotion that got me involved into this unique organisation’s activity. Since childhood, I loved my mother too intensely to believe she will pass her prime. As I grew up I saw my dream shattered. This personal helplessness urged me to ponder over ways and means to reset this conspicuous infirmity into a bright graceful existence. It led me to involve with this distinguished institution of which I have now become an integral part.

I sincerely express our indebtedness to two stalwarts Dr. R. Vaidya and Dr. U. P. Jha who had founded the Indian Menopause Society in the year 1995 at Mumbai. Since then, there was no looking back and the journey continues with 44 chapters established across the country up to date. I also congratulate all past presidents and convey my heart felt thanks for trying so hard to reach the position where we are now.

Tackling menopause is very truly a social activity and requires involvement of all. We cannot progress in isolation and need the help of our entire medical fraternity to whom we implore to contemplate the problem with more compassion. We also urge our fellow citizens to address the issue seriously for a great potential lies within the women-power that will remain under-utilised if we do not take remedial steps.

Our Indian Menopause Society pledges to impart this vision and our mission is to extend our clinical service for the care of these suffering women and also create awareness among the population.

At present our society has a strong position at International Menopause Society and SAFOMS. This is a result of concerted effort of all our previous office bearers who individually paved the way to newer possibilities and has led us into this coveted position as an organisation.

Our on going catch phrase is New Mind-set.

We wish to approach the issue of menopause holistically.

I use the word deliberately because it has both a philosophical and a medical connotation. Holistic- philosophically means: characterized by the belief that the parts of something are intimately interconnected and explicable only by referenceto the whole.

And as you are well aware in Medical parlance holistic approach is one that is characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of a disease.

We have also set for ourselves concrete tasks of statistically computing a macro-data base of the osteoporotic conditions in females post menopause and metabolic x syndrome of the same survey group collating hypertension, blood sugar and dyslipidaemia parameters. It will help in publishing the results nationally and internationally. We can inform and urge Ministry of Health & Family Welfare to take action in prevention of these diseases.

We have already approached the honourable government of India to help us spread our initiative .We would like to dream each and every primary health centre equipped with health care unit for women 40+ and the entire inhabitants becoming conscious of the problem that can lead to deterioration of quality of life for those unfortunate women who render so much to the society family and that they ought to lead a carefree life till the end.

I sincerely hope that these ideas will take shape consummately with your interactive opinions.

Mind-set is the will to pursue a dream. As clinicians we can humbly emulate this spirit and spread our yearning to take up this issue at a social level and fight it out involving the entire humanity. I would like to quote the famous song of John Lennon and end saying :

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one